Trump would lead DeSantis by 17 points in a hypothetical primary battle

Former US President Donald Trump would have a 17-point lead in a hypothetical Republican primary showdown against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, according to a Morning Consult poll. 

Trump would get 48% support among potential Republican primary voters, according to the poll, followed by DeSantis, who would garner 31% support. 

Third place would go to former US Vice President Mike Pence, with 8% support, followed by former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, with 3%. 

Meanwhile, former US Representative to the UN Nikki Haley and Texas Senator Ted Cruz would both receive 2% of the vote, according to Morning Consult. 

The poll notes that Trump's favourability rating among likely Republican primary voters has improved over the past month, with 77% holding a favourable opinion of him. In addition, just over a third of DeSantis supporters would vote for Trump as a second choice. 

However, nearly seven in ten likely voters have a favourable opinion of the Florida governor, who is running as the former president's potential chief rival. 

The poll shows that voters believe DeSantis would fare slightly better against President Joe Biden in a hypothetical presidential election than Trump would. 

So far, the former US president has been the only one to make his candidacy for the presidency official, while DeSantis or Pence have not ruled out taking the step of running, as has been rumoured in recent weeks. 

The poll was conducted from 13 to 15 January among 829 likely Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of four percentage points.